Pierpont – Original “DH – Dienshuhr Heere” German WWII Military Wehrmacht Army Watch

The Pierpont D.H. is a Swiss-made Dienstuhr (service watch) produced for the German Wehrmacht by Sauter Frères & Cie SA of Biel/Bienne. The company originated from a prior partnership, Bourquin, Sauter & Cie, formed in 1901. In January 1909, Georges Friedrich Sauter and Paul Albert Sauter established Sauter Frères & Cie as a new entity, with premises at Gurzelenstrasse 6 in Biel. The trademark “Pierpont” was registered for watches and movements in 1918, and became the company’s principal brand. On the American market, watches were distributed under the name “Geneva” (via Geneva Watch Company casing); in Britain, the brand traded as Pierpont, with A. Brun of London acting as importer during the 1950s and 1960s.

During the war years (1939–1945), under contract with the German Reichsregierung, Pierpont supplied D.H.-marked service watches to the Wehrmacht. The Pierpont D.H. is fitted with the AS 1130 calibre — an ébauche by A. Schild SA of Grenchen, unsigned on the movement (anonymous), commonly referred to among collectors as the “Wehrmachtswerk” for its widespread use across numerous D.H. suppliers. The D.H. designation is stamped on the caseback exterior as “D [six-digit serial number] H,” with the letters (2 mm) larger than the numerals (1 mm). based on 22 registered examples, the serial number range extends approximately from 538,000 to 598,000. The company did not survive the quartz crisis; Pierpont SA, Bienne, was dissolved by resolution of its general meeting on 10 February 2005

Pierpont D.H. watches is among the less frequently encountered Wehrmacht service watch brands